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After the Hit Parade Had Gone

American popular music slid from sophisticated songs like ‘Night and Day’ to ‘Young at Heart’ and ‘The Doggie in the Window.’ Then came rock ’n’ roll.

By

Eddie Dean

Jan. 30, 2015 5:48 p.m. ET

The Great American Songbook has become so ubiquitous that we take it for granted, whether we’re hearing “Fly Me to the Moon” at a wedding or a creaky rendition of a Cole Porter tune at a high-school version of “Kiss Me Kate.” The songbook spans the spectrum of pop culture, from iconic standards, such as Judy Garland singing “Over the Rainbow” (1939), to obscure gems, such as hipster Chet Baker crooning “Let’s Get Lost” (1955) in an opiated invitation to romantic oblivion. “I Can’t Give You Anything but Love,” covered by dozens of performers from Louis Armstrong on down, first appeared in a 1928 musical and, last...